posted at 12:01 pm on September 7, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

Well, what else canthey say? The Obama administration keeps pointing to the fact that we haven’t had a negative jobs report since early in his presidency, but that only means something if we have negative population growth. We’re not keeping up with that factor, not in 29 months, not in 39 months, and certainly not in the 44 months that Barack Obama has been in office. So, when the BLS hands you lemons month after month after month, what choice do you have but to make lemonade? The White House leads off its reaction to the August jobs report by insisting that we’re still moving, er, forward (via John Nolte):

While there is more work that remains to be done, today’s employment report provides further evidence that the U.S. economy is continuing to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression. It is critical that we continue the policies that are building an economy that works for the middle class as we dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the severe recession that began in December 2007.

Let’s revisit the trends over the last three-plus years of recovery to test this idea of “dig[ging] our way out of the deep hole,” because that’s readily testable — and especially in imagery. First, let’s look at the 14-year trend for the employment-population ratio from the BLS, using their own graph:

See any hint of digging out of that hole yet? Neither do I. Next, let’s take a look at the civilian participation rate over the last 14 years:

These two charts measure the workforce as a percentage of the population — which accounts for population growth as well as job creation. Both are not only dropping, the civilian participation rate dropped faster and farther during the recovery than it did during the recession.

Those aren’t the only charts that disprove the White House spin, either. James Pethokoukis provides a look at average hourly earnings for non-supervisory workers over the last 27 years in terms of year-on-year percentage increases — and this recovery has been worse than the recessions that preceded it:

James also notes that Citibank calls the past year’s 1.7% increase in the past year a tie for “the slowest pace on record.”

John Lott recalls Obama’s promise to fix the issue in three years or be a one-term President and says he lost the bet:

And we have fewer jobs despite there being many more Americans than four years ago. There are now over 8.4 million more working age Americans. Normally about 60 percent of the working age population have jobs. Thus, it would have been necessary to add about 130,000 jobs each month just to keep the share of the working age population employed from falling.

The middle and upper income jobs lost during the recession are being replaced lower-wage jobs during Obama’s recovery. Middle income occupations accounted for 60 percent of the jobs lost from the first quarter of 2008 to first quarter of 2010, but 58 percent of the jobs created since then have been in lower-wage occupations. While we have lost jobs in skilled construction, real estate, and supervisors, most new jobs are in retail sales and food preparation. …

We aren’t digging our way out of holes. As the charts above show, we seem to be digging them deeper under the current set of policies. It wasn’t all that long ago, Buzzfeed’s Andrew Kaczynski reminds us, that a certain Democrat insisted that a jobs report showing more than three times as many added jobs was a disappointment and an indicator of bad economic policy:

Talk about digging holes! Today’s response from the Obama White House deserves a Chip Diller Award for sheer chutzpah:

I was driving around listening to the news on the radio. Normally ABC or CBS news presents these job reports as positives (Hey, we gained FORTY THOUSAND!!! JOBS! YAAAAAAAY!). Today they were all saying negative things.

Ask the prisoners of war, when you get beaten every day, the one day you don’t get beaten feels good…the one or two days a month we don’t get bad news, Obama is telling us how lucky we are…and on the days we do get beaten, how lucky we are it isn’t worse…whatta guy!

I was driving around listening to the news on the radio. Normally ABC or CBS news presents these job reports as positives (Hey, we gained FORTY THOUSAND!!! JOBS! YAAAAAAAY!). Today they were all saying negative things.

strictnein on September 7, 2012 at 12:08 PM

Maybe the speech by Obama was a “dog whistle” to the media saying “It’s okay, I realize it’s over, no use in trying to prop me up, I’m tired and want to go home.”

Yes, the stag-conomy is in horrible shape. But lets say next month’s report shows the unemployment rate drop to 7.9%. Now, O starts to act from a position of greater strength. We need to diversify. Attack O primarily for his success in radically increasing the govt’s size and control over our lives. And other issues. People fear big govt (play on that fear!), and that can trump the economy as the most important issue. Take big leads on every issue so the economy is relatively moot. Protect ourselves.. now.
Do we want big govt taking control of nearly everything, or not? That is the question.

The part I love is how when Bush adds 300,000 jobs but the labor participation rate drops from 67 to 66, Dems call it a “jobless recovery” but when Obama adds 90,000 jobs but the labor participation rate has sunk from 66 all the way to 63, they wave the recovery banner like it’s freaking Christmas.

Well, I do have to admit I was wrong. I expected a rosy picture from the BLS report that would be revised later, but slowly in order to ensure Jugear’s re-election. So now all the administration has is the same old stuff talking about how bad things were when they took over and why it’s taking so long. Nobody (OK, 43%) is buying that stuff anymore.

There are things that can be done to re-invigorate the economy:
1) Start issuing offshore drilling permits again
2) Open up the oil fields for exploration and drilling
3) Roll back the job killing EPA regulations that have been implemented in the last 4 years. The air was clean in 2008 so no reason to add more regulation
4) Roll back the ridiculous CAFE standards. Let people buy the cars they want, not the ones the government thinks we should buy.
6) Repeal Obamacare, businesses are sitting on the sidelines and there is extreme disincentive to hire or grow past 50 employees because of this bureaucratic nightmare
7) Repeal Frank-Dodd. Another job-killing over-reach
8) Repeal Sarbane-Oxley. It does nothing and adds to the paperwork overhead of businesses with no value added
9) Make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Eliminate this uncertainty so that businesses can make plans

There are other things that need to be addressed as well, but the above list is simple and would be a huge shot in the arm for the economy

I loathe this president and his surrogates. I’m tired of them continually blowing smoke up my rear end or implying that I’m too stupid to comprehend his fabulousness. I’m fed up with the slobbering sycophants in the media who prop him up.

But most of all, I’m disgusted by my fellow Americans who (a) bought into this claptrap in 2008 and (b) don’t bother to educate themselves enough this year to see through the walking, talking bloviator that is Obama.

Ed explained that above. If you are not creating jobs as fast as population growth, the only way to reduce the %unemployment is to reduce the population. Thus the free contraceptives and unlimited abortion theme of the convention. This is the long term plan for spreading the limited number of jobs around to everyone.

I don’t know if you guys have seen this yet, but the malelabor participation rate is 69.9%. That’s the lowest since…1948. Do you know what that means? In terms of men in America, Obama’s economic policies have erased the entire population growth of the baby boom generation, and men are at levels not seen in over 60 years. Astonishing. Obama’s War on Men continue.

WTF? Are you trying to say you think it would be best to make the economic arguement moot? Any serious minded adult knows that virtually every statistic points toward the catastrophy that is O’s policies.

Well, I do have to admit I was wrong. I expected a rosy picture from the BLS report that would be revised later,
AZfederalist on September 7, 2012 at 12:19 PM

ROTFLMAO… No,you were not wrong, that is exactly what the BLS produced. When the best the BLS BSmasters can do to make things look good for Obama is to make thing look bad,you know the situation is far far worse than they are admitting to.

In the best interests of the nation effective noon tomorrow I will resign from the office of President of the United States. But of course, even if the rat-eared bastard doesn’t care about a second term, there is no way that Mooch is going to give up her current lifestyle without a fight. They are going have to pull that lobster tail from her cold dead hand.

“In terms of absolute job growth predictions this number was not unexpected. With Italy and Spain experiencing a rather soft landing, all things considered, we expect manufacturing orders to pick up as something something something blah blah…”

I always pictured TDBuddha reading that pablum in the voice of Jack Handey from SNL’s “Deep Thoughts”.

So, if someone asks you what the main difference is between most of the Obama supporters, and Romney supporters, instead of stammering, and stuttering, and looking for an answer, just tell them that the Romney supporters sign their checks on the front, and the Obama supporters sign their checks on the back.

After the DNC convention in 2004 and watching BO’s speech I figured he would get the nod in 2008 despite the Clintons still hanging about. I started digging into BO’s history.

For me these have been long years of worry. Four of those were dreading what seemed to be an inevitable outcome of a 2008 BO win and four years of misery with a BO “presidency”.

Watching BO and his fawning MSM attempt to create a fantasy world where everything is great while living the reality has made me truly, truly angry.

Forcing people to live without hope, forcing hard working people to apply for Food Stamps (never seen anything like this) or deciding that applying for Disability Benefits is the only thing they can do – just to survive – is unforgivable.

Romney wins and on January 21st, 2013, the MSM rediscovers “The Recession” phrase.

dirtseller on September 7, 2012 at 12:44 PM

… and if by January 31, 2013 the GDP is not growing at 3%+ annual rate and unemployment is not below 7%, the Romney presidency will be solemnly pronounced a failure. They might give him until February 1.

President Romney is going to find the job of “digging out of the hole” is shovel ready. We couldn’t be more ready for some good economic news, and neither could the world. I can’t wait for November, so we can get to work and fix this mess.

I don’t know if you guys have seen this yet, but the male labor participation rate is 69.9%. That’s the lowest since…1948. Do you know what that means? In terms of men in America, Obama’s economic policies have erased the entire population growth of the baby boom generation, and men are at levels not seen in over 60 years. Astonishing. Obama’s War on Men continue.

Weight of Glory on September 7, 2012 at 12:33 PM

In 1948, the male labor force participation rate was around 87% and the male employment-population ratio was around 84%. These statistical series begin in January 1948, so the current LFPR for men of 69.8% is the lowest on record, but the numbers were actually far higher when they first began recording these statistics than now (though much of this change is due to aging of the relevant population, which includes everyone 16 or older).

There’s definitely going to be more hiring this month in preparation for the holiday shopping season. You combine that with hundreds of thousands dropping out of the labor force and the media will hype a recovery in jobs.

There’s definitely going to be more hiring this month in preparation for the holiday shopping season. You combine that with hundreds of thousands dropping out of the labor force and the media will hype a recovery in jobs.

Wigglesworth on September 7, 2012 at 12:59 PM

Yes, but most people know that hiring at this time of the year is seasonal and temporary – especially the people being hired.

The other consideration is whether or not retailers expect a robust holiday season. Looking at gas prices, food prices, reduced incomes, and consumer confidence numbers, etc. I can’t believe the season will do much for the Dems.

There’s definitely going to be more hiring this month in preparation for the holiday shopping season. You combine that with hundreds of thousands dropping out of the labor force and the media will hype a recovery in jobs.

Wigglesworth on September 7, 2012 at 12:59 PM

This could end up being a HUGE backfire though. The fact that everyone knows hiring picks up as fall starts means that more people will re-enter the laborforce and could in fact drive the rate back up.

here’s definitely going to be more hiring this month in preparation for the holiday shopping season. You combine that with hundreds of thousands dropping out of the labor force and the media will hype a recovery in jobs.

Wigglesworth on September 7, 2012 at 12:59 PM

That’s what seasonal adjustments are supposed to take out of the number. However, that adjustment can be subject to manipulation.